Cold Spring Tavern -
Overview
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate •
Mileage: .5 miles
Elevation Gain: 400 ft. • Location: Santa Ynez Mountains
Features: Creeks, Waterfalls
User Type: Hiking
Elevation Gain: 400 ft. • Location: Santa Ynez Mountains
Features: Creeks, Waterfalls
User Type: Hiking
Highlights
Cold Springs Tavern is a historic site where stagecoach passengers enjoyed a break from the rough and tumble road and a bite to eat while the horses were being changed for the last push up over San Marcos Pass. Today you’ll find a quaint tavern on the left, where music is played on the weekend afternoons, and one on Santa Barbara’s best restaurants on the right. A scramble up the creek leads up to a pretty moss and fern covered waterfall. Do note, the rocks are slippery and there is plenty of poison oak.
The Basics
- Length : .5 miles from the Tavern up the creek to the upper waterfall.
- Gain : 400'
- Path : Off trail route straight up the creek. Lots of moss and slippery rocks.
- Season : Wintertime when the water is flowing and the moss is green.
- Restrictions : Hikers only
- Canine : No dogs!
- Points of Interest : Creeks,Waterfalls
Trail Facts
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Points of Interests: Creeks, Waterfalls
User Types: Hikers
Locations: Santa Ynez Mountains
- Resources:
Get Directions To The Trailhead
Driving Directions
Get Directions to Cold Spring Tavern which is located at 34.5211,-119.8401.
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Access / Getting There
- Follow Highway 154 over San Marcos Pass and a mile after the crest look for a side road on the left that leads to the Tavern. It is just before the bridge on Highway 154 that spans Cold Springs Canyon.
- Bear to the right (this is the old highway) and you’ll find the Tavern just a short distance down this road.
Download Directions: Download PDF Map Directions
Get Directions To The Trailhead
Driving Directions
Get Directions to Cold Spring Tavern which is located at 34.5211,-119.8401.
Print Directions
Things to Know
Cold Springs Tavern not only supplies some of the best food in town and live music on the weekends, but the possibility of a beautiful hike as well. Originally a rest stop for stagecoaches traveling from Los Olivos to Santa Barbara, the Tavern is now one of the most picturesque places to hang out on a warm Saturday or Sunday afternoon. You’ll not only see the widest variety of people gathered together anywhere in this area—ranging from bikers on their custom Harleys to those arriving in stretch limos—but be able to enjoy a cool drink and the sound of rocking music live on the Tavern steps.
No trespassing signs have been added to the area above the Tavern in the recent past and you may not be able to hike up to the falls. If in doubt, see if you can get permission in the Tavern to walk up the creek.
Background
Trip Log
On The Trail
The small creek which cascades by the upper end of the Tavern will also supply an enjoyable hike for those who don’t mind a little uphill scrambling over a series of boulders covered with bright green moss. From the Tavern, walk up the left side of the creek along a narrow trail for several hundred feet until it ends. From there continue up the creek, boulder-hopping. Though the route is somewhat steep, you’ll find it extremely beautiful, especially in the winter months and early spring, when the mosses are at their most intense and brightest, almost completely covering each rock so that little sandstone is visible.
A word of caution: the moss may be slippery so take your time and test your footholds. Also, while the creekbed is somewhat open, the poison oak is plentiful. Be careful what you touch.
The surprise is at the end of the mile scramble—waterfall covered with moss and thick clusters of maidenhair ferns. The water (when the creek is flowing) trickles over the edge, turning into a fine mist, making this spot a rich, green paradise.
On The Bike
On The Run
On The Walk
Last Updated: Sunday, November 9, 2014
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